2,700. that's the second highest single day death toll. still three hours until the day ends. at least 276,148 people have now died in this country from this virus. i want to hand it over to jake for president-elect joe biden and vice president-elect kamala harris' first joint interview since winning the white house. welcome to this cnn special event, the first joint interview with president-elect joe biden and vice president-elect kamala harris. i'm jake tapper live in washington, d.c. in 48 days, this building behind me will be under new management. after taking the oath of office, president biden and vice president harris will take charge of a nation truly in crisis. there has never been a worse time in the coronavirus pandemic in the u.s. than right now, and it is only expected to get worse. the nation just recorded the highest number of coronavirus deaths in one day ever.

in total, more than 276,000 americans lost so far. we have a record number of hospitalizations. millions more out of work. and the u.s. is facing other threats from abroad and deep political divisions here, and a reckoning on race. biden and harris will soon be partners in trying to lead the nation, tasked with steering the united states of america during this unprecedented time. now for the first time since they won, they sat down together to answer some of our questions. thank you so much for doing this. i appreciate it. what an honor to get the first joint interview, madam vice president-elect. congratulations. >> thank you. >> mr. president-elect, congratulations. >> thank you. >> before we get started, you're not wearing your big boot anymore but you have -- >> well, i wear the big boot most of the time. but coming out here it's just kind of clumsy, so they gave me this little thing to work. >> how is your foot and what happened? >> what happened was i got out of the shower.

i got a dog and anybody that has been around my house knows the little pup dropped a ball in front of me for me to grab the ball. and i'm walking through this little alleyway to get to the bedroom, and i grabbed the ball like this, and he ran, and i was joking, running after him to grab his tail. and what happened was that he slid on a throw rug, and i tripped on the rug he slid on. that's what happened. >> oh, man. >> not very exciting story. >> no, but let's turn to a much more serious health matter, which is obviously the worsening pandemic. you u.s. is entering the dark winter that you warned about with the highest death rate. we just reached a new horrible milestone of new cases. on a policy level, what's going to be different starting on january 20th when you take office when it comes to dealing with the pandemic? >> there's going to be a couple things. number one, it's going to be important we set out national standards to -- look, we met with governors, democrat and republican as well as 50

democrat and republican mayors. they said they need guidance. they need guidance. and they're going to need a fair amount of money. it's one thing for us to talk about being able to get help out there, but it's not getting there. we're having these hospital stays are overwhelming hospitals right now. there's a need for more financial assistance. there's more financial assistance needed as well when the vaccine comes forward. there's need for planning. now, the administration has been cooperating with us of late, letting them know what their plans are for the covid virus, for how they're going to deliver on the vaccine. but there is not any help getting out there. and look at all the businesses that are being hurt so badly. no money to help them. come christmastime, there's going to be millions of people see their unemployment run out. so there's a whole range of things that have to be done, and we have to ante up. i'm hoping up -- and we've talked about this. i'm hoping the session in this lame duck session will come up

with some help to make sure we can keep people moving. even if their jobs -- if they have to close restaurants and bars, they're able to be able to maintain their business while they're out. and so there's a whole lot of things that have to be done quickly. >> all right. i'll get to the legislative part of this in a second. but before i do, madam vice president-elect, pfizer and moderna have applied for emergency use authorization for the vaccines. are you confident that if and when the fda does give that approval, it will be safe and effective, and will you take it? >> of course i will. and it -- but we also want to make sure that the american people know that we are committed -- the president-elect and i talk about this all the time, that the people who need it most are going to be a priority. we've talked a lot about the need to take care of our frontline workers. as the president-elect was talking about, he and i over the thanksgiving holiday, for example, made a number of calls

to nurses who are describing horrendous conditions in terms of the risks to their own safety to do the work of saving the lives of others. so we want to make 1450sure thae people who need to get it first are going to be there. but of course we'll take it, and i'll take it. >> obviously those frontline workers are important, but you are too, sir, and you will be the oldest president ever inaugurated. do you plan to get vaccinated before inauguration day, and will you do it in public the way that presidents obama, bush, and clinton have suggested -- >> i'll be happy to do that. when dr. fauci says we have a vaccine that is safe, that's the moment in which i will stand before the public and see that, look, part of what has to happen, jake, and you know as well as i do, people have lost faith in the ability of the vaccine to work. already the numbers are really staggeringly low, and it matters what a president and vice president do. and so i think that might three

predecessors have set the model as to what should be done, saying once it's declared to be safe -- and i think barack said once fauci says it's clear, that's my measure -- then obviously we take it. it's important to communicate to the american people it's safe. it's safe to do this. >> speaking of fauci, have you speaken with him yet? if so, have you asked him to stay on? >> yes and yes. >> tell me about the conversation. has he said what more needs to be done from his point of view? >> well, look, my chief of staff has worked with him in the last crisis. he's been talking to him all the time, ron klain. i talked to him today. we spoke today at 3:00. my covid team met with him. i asked him to stay on in the exact same role he's had for the past several presidents, and i asked him to be chief medical adviser for me as well and be part of the covid team. and so what has to be done is we have to make it clear to the american people that the vaccine

is safe when that is determined. and, number two, you have to make sure, as he points out, you don't have to close down the economy like a lot of folks are talking about now. if, in fact, you have clear guidance and you're able to say to businesses, okay, for example, bars and restaurants, you're going to close. we're going to provide you the wherewithal to not lose your business like the house had passed, and we're going to be able to reopen. we're going to be able to reopen in time and not to close down for long periods of time. we talked about masking. it is important that we, in fact -- the president and the vice president, we set, you know, the pattern by wearing masks. but beyond that, where the federal government has authority, i'm going to issue a standing order that in federal buildings you have to be masked, and in interstate transportation you must be masked, airplanes and buses, et cetera. and so it's a matter of -- and i think my inclination, jake, is

in the first day i'm inaugurated to say, i'm going to ask the public for 100 days to mask. just 100 days to mask, not forever. 100 days. and i think we'll see a significant reduction if that occurs with vaccinations and masking to drive down the numbers considerably, considerably. >> operation warp speed seems to have been a big success to get the vaccine going. i know there's a lot to criticize about how president trump handled the crisis of the pandemic. but do you give him credit for operation warp speed? >> well, yeah. look, the fact we got the vaccine is a good idea, but i mean it's important, critically important. but as you know, jake, one of the vaccines requires two shots, one one shot. and the fact is it's one thing to get the vaccine delivered in cases some frozen, some not, and another thing to get the vaccine to move from the case to a vaccination in someone's arm. that's the really complicated piece.

when i met with the republican and democratic governors and mayors, they said, we need help on how to do that. one was certain they were able to do it in their state. just get me the vaccine, i can do it. but it's an incredibly expensive proposition, incredibly expensive proposition. that's why we're continuing to hope that the senate does something and responds to the immediate need to provide dollars. but we're going to need a lot more. it's going to cost little literally billions of dollars to get this done. we can keep schools open. we can keep businesses open, but you have to be able to get the vaccine distributed. jake, the last thing i think they started off, based on my team that's met with them, focusing on first responders, means doctors, nurses, focusing on nursing homes and nursing personnel. but we also have to make sure that when the vaccine is distributed, it's accessible to people who have been hurt the most, the brown and black communities, which are not likely to be able to access, for

example, walmarts or access -- i mean we have to get to their neighborhoods. so it's a really difficult but doable project, but it has to be well planned. that's what we're in the process of beginning to do now. >> i know you just appointed -- it was just reported that you're appointing somebody in the white house to be in charge of inequities in the health care system, which i assume this will be one of their first focuses. >> that's one of the primary responsibilities. look, you know, folks who are african-americans and latinos are the first ones hurt when something happens, the last ones to recover. and you saw the statistics. they're somewhere depending on which report you get and where you're talking about, four to five times more -- three to four times more likely to die if they get covid. so they need the help, and they need to get it in immediately. >> madam vice president-elect, most health experts, including dr. fauci, agree that elementary schools should be the last thing to close. bars should close. restaurants should close.

but elementary schools should be the very last ones because the risk is minimal in terms of what's happening to kids. and i know you've talked about this earlier. it has been disastrous in terms of education, in terms of psychology. but there are many teachers and teachers unions who are advocating for remote-only education to stick around because they are afraid understandably of getting the virus. will the biden/harris administration defer to the health experts or to the teachers unions when it comes to elementary schools? >> honestly, jake, i think it's a false choice. both. both. the public health experts, of course, must be leaders in this conversation because we're having the conversation because of a public health epidemic, a pandemic. so they must help inform the decisions, but our educators are our educators. they are on the front line. they are most knowledgeable about the educational needs of our children. so both have to be participating in that conversation. but let's start from this place.

everyone wants our kids to go back to school. every parent wants their kids to go back to school. every teacher wants to educate those children. every community bin fits from those children getting an education. so there is wide consensus about the priority and the goal, and then we have to bring everyone together around how we achieve that in a way that is smart. and smart is about prioritizing the safety of our children and their teachers and their families and their communities and prioritizing the education of our children. >> jake, i would argue that -- i agree with everything the vice president said, but i've spoken with the leaders of the unions, and i've -- there is a clear plan that's been laid out. we can safely open those elementary schools where the highest risk of people transmitting the disease, number one. number two, we can make it safe for teachers if we invest in what needs to be done.

number one, sanitizing the schools. number two, making sure that they have ventilation. number three, making sure there are smaller pods of children, meaning you need more teachers. you got to pay for this stuff. it was estimated that we could open those schools for somewhere around $100 billion nationwide that. would be the cost for a year. we know how to do this. but the fact is there's no money to do it, and you know better than anyone because you've been reporting on it, the states are running out of money. they cannot continue to deficit spend. they can't deficit spend, and that's a federal government responsibility short term, which will have long-term positive impact on growth and on the mental health and the educational capacity of our children. >> let's talk about this expense because there is a lot of desire out there -- i don't need to tell you -- among the american people who are hurting, who are facing evictions, who are not able to put food on the table.

the unemployment number still remains very high. and there's a desire for a relief package, another relief package, not just a desire, a need, a desperate need. >> yes. >> and yet there's been gridlock in washington. this week a bipartisan group of senators unveiled a compromise bill that is more than mitch mcconnell wants but less than nancy pelosi wants. do you support that bill? do you think that should go to the floor of the senate? >> i think if they could get the 900 -- what they're talking about, the number was -- i think it was $900 billion. >> yes, $900 billion. >> that that would be a good start. it's not enough. it's need, and they should focus on the things that are immediately needed. and what's immediately needed is relief for people in their unemployment checks, relief for people who are going to get thrown out of their apartments after christmas because they can't afford to pay the rent anymore, relief on mortgage payments, relief on all the things that are in the original bill the house passed.

but it may have changed again today. i don't know. maybe you know. but in fact the president said he wouldn't sign any such legislation. and then i'm told -- i may be mistaken because i'm not there not only every day, ever in the senate anymore, but i'm told that there's somewhere between 20 and 22 republican senators who say they won't even -- they won't vote for anything. >> yeah. >> but here's the deal. if mitch mcconnell just brought the bill up, just put it on the floor, i believe -- the senator believes -- or soon to be former senator believes that it would pass. but it's a start. but, look, people are really hurting. they're scared to death. and what's happening to -- and teachers are prepared to go back if they know that there's something where there's masking, testing. they're available to them. they're able to be in smaller pods. they need more help. but it's just not coming forward. we know the answer. >> when you say it's a start,

the bill, the compromise bill, do you mean it's a start for negotiations? it's just an -- >> oh, no, no. i think -- >> you think they should pass it? >> i think it should be passed, and i think that in fact we're going to need more -- i'm going to ask for more help when we get there to get things done. now, again, i have faith in chuck and nancy. i'm not doing the detailed negotiation. as a matter of fact, one of the people deeply involved is my -- the guy who took my spot in the united states senate. chris coons is a brilliant guy. so i'm relying on their judgment as what the most basic things that are needed now. >> yeah. who supports the compromise legislation? >> yeah. >> madam vice president, vice president pence right now is leading the covid-19 task force. are you going to continue that position? what will your specific portfolio be, and how do you plan on working with your new boss? will you have weekly lunches?

will you be the last one he speaks to before he makes a decision as then-vice president did with then-president obama? how do you see your role? >> yes. >> yes to all of that? so covid task force, weekly lunches. >> i'll take the last point first, which is if the future is determined in any way based on what has been happening, we are full partners in this process, and i will tell you that the president-elect has been -- since the first day he asked me to join him on the ticket, been very clear with me that he wants me to be the first and the last in the room. and so on every issue that impacts the american people, i will be a full partner to the president-elect and the president and whatever our priorities are, i will be there to support him and support the american people. >> do you have a portfolio that

you see yourself taking? like he was in charge of the recovery act during the great recession. is there -- will you head up the covid task force? is there an issue that you really want to focus on? >> let me take a shot at that. >> sure. sure. >> i headed the recovery act, not because that's what i said i wanted to do. the deal the president and i made is the same thing i'm asking the vice president to do, and that is that there's so many things that are going to land on this president's desk, me in this case -- as i said about barack, everything but locusts is going to land on this. we have significant problems. whatever the most urgent need is that i'm not going to be able to attend to, i have confidence in turning to her. it wasn't that barack said, joe, we're going to have a stimulus, and i want you to handle it. it was, we've got to get this stimulus passed, i'm working on this. joe, you take it, okay? this is what i want you to do? so unlike the previous portfolio where al gore said, look, let me

do environment, when i was asked the question -- when i asked her the question, no, i'll do whatever the urgent need is at the moment. >> yep. >> that's how it's going to work, and that's how -- look, there's not a single decision i've made yet about personnel or about how to proceed that i haven't discussed it with kamala first. >> that's true. >> what has been -- she was one of your fiercest competitors in the early days of the primary, and now she and doug emhoff -- which by the way, is he the second gentleman? is he the second dude? what should we be calling him? >> well, i think that the term has evolved into the second gentleman. >> the second gentleman? >> yes. i think some of his friends are inclined to say that. >> but you'll call him the second gentleman? >> no, i'll call him honey. >> but now they're part of the team. >> yes. >> they're no longer competitors. what's been the biggest surprise

about working with her? i know you knew her before through beau. >> look there hadn't been any surprise because we had the discussion about this beforehand. first of all, i understand how campaigns can sometimes get a little out of whack a little bit, and as i told her, you know, because i don't hold grudges. i mean that's why rich brand kramer questioned whether i was really irish, you know. >> the first lady to be told me she holds them for you. >> yes, she does. but xi ashe and kamala have bec friends. but all kidding aside, we are simpatico on our philosophy of government and simpatico on how we want to approach these issues we're facing. so when we disagree, it will be just like -- so far it's been just like when barack and i did. it's in private. she said, i think we should do a, b, c or d. i said, i like a but not b, c,

d. i told barack if there's a fundamental disagreement on a -- i'll develop some disease and say i resign. we discussed at length our views on foreign policy, on domestic policy, on intelligence. the great thing is she has a background in the senate on intelligence. the intelligence committee. she has a background in the senate on a whole range of things that are going to be pertinent to what we have to do. but i think so much is going to be incoming, jake, it's a matter about who takes what, when. >> yep. >> i don't need to tell you, mr. president-elect, that the naacp is suggesting that they are disappointed so far that there haven't been more black americans named to high-profile positions, present company excepted, and that jim clyburn said, he's watching your cabinet picks, and, quote, i can think

of at least ten black folks that qualify for every single one. one position you have yet to announce is attorney general. do you think given george floyd, black lives matter, the social justice issues, the criminal justice reform issues, that a black attorney general would be the right direction? >> look, i'm going to be announcing the remaining 15 members of the cabinet. the first 8 members are the most diverse cabinet anyone in american history has ever announced. there are three white men. there are -- excuse me. there are three men. there are five women. there are five people of color, three white people. i mean this is going to be an incredibly diverse -- i'm going to keep my commitment that the administration both in the white house and outside in the cabinet is going to look like the country. i'm going to be meeting with the naacp board, i guess, in --

>> tuesday, i think. >> tuesday. >> yeah. >> and so, look, my job -- their job is to push me. every special interest- and i don't say that in a negative way. every advocacy group out there is pushing for more and more and more of what they want. that's their job. my job is to keep my commitment to make the decisions, and when it's all over, people will take a look and say, i promise you, you'll see the most diverse cabinet, representative of all folks, asian-americans, african-americans, latinos, lgbtq across the board. and so i think -- and they're all forthcoming in the next month or so. >> last month, senator bernie sanders told the associated press it would be, quote, insulting if your cabinet ignored progressive voices. who would you point to now as a leading progressive voice in the

cabinet? >> we're not done yet, jake. so we're not even halfway there. so i think that we should have this conversation when we're done. >> is this another interview offer you're making, because i'll take it? >> do you consider yourself a progressive? >> no. >> the department of homeland security. >> he's a progressive? >> yeah. and there's a number of progressives that are -- what i think people are saying is -- a lot of people are saying, am i going to pick some very, very prominent and well-known progressive who sits in the house or the senate right now? as close as everything is in terms of the house and the senate, they are tough decisions to make, to pull somebody i'm going to badly need out of the senate, and we now don't re-elect or have an appointment of somebody who is a democrat. and so it is -- i think people are going to see not only at the cabinet level but at the sub cabinet level, they're already

people we've appointed, and we'll appoint many more. but it is not -- again, i understand the push. i truly understand the push. >> when you take office, the senate will either be 50-50 -- that's best case for you -- or controlled by republicans. many republican senators, including senate majority leader mitch mcconnell, have not even yet called you to congratulate you or said publicly that you are the president-elect, just acknowledged basic reality. you have retained and remained optimistic about your ability to work with mcconnell. why have you not yet spoken with mcconnell, and how can you be optimistic about working with a group of individuals who have not even yet acknowledged that you're the president-elect? >> i say this tactfully. >> you don't have to be tactful. >> no, i do, because i don't want to -- there have been more than several sitting republican senators who have privately called me to congratulate me.

and i understand the situation they find themselves in, and until the election is clearly decided in the minds for the electoral college votes, they get put in a very tough position. and so that's number one. number two -- >> so you think the fever on that will break after the electoral college meets? >> well, at least a significant portion of leadership. i don't know that it's going to break across the board. i'm not saying that. it's not the same senate -- i don't mean in terms of their philosophy. it's not the same senate personnel that i knew when i left the senate. there are only about 35 -- 30%, 40% that are there when i was in the senate. but i'm confident. i'm confident that we're going to -- there's a number of things i've already spoken to several about. for example, there's an overwhelming consensus we have

to do the things to work on to deal with infrastructure, cancer, the things like remember at the end of the last -- our last two months in office. you know, you heard senator alexander on the floor saying that -- referencing me in his farewell speech saying, i felt like a butler standing outside the white house with a tray that would do a lot on dealing with cancer, and then along came joe. we worked it out. we got something done. we only had, i think, something like 43 democratic senators for the biden moonshot and the aproe approa approach. we ended up with 96, 95, 94. which started off with about 100 and a few members of the house, 385 or 95 voted for it. >> you're still confident? >> it's going to be hard. i'm not suggesting it's going to be easy. it's going to be hard, but i'm

confident that on the things that africa tfect the national security and the fundamental economic necessity to keep people employed, to get people employed, to bring the economy back, there's plenty of room we can work. >> vice president-elect harris, you too have proposed an ambitious climate agenda. >> mm-hmm. >> you've named john kerry as your climate envoy. realistically any significant change is going to be an uphill battle with such a closely divided house and senate, no matter how the georgia runoffs go. what can you do that will both genuinely address the issue and won't just get reversed by the next republican president, will actually be legislative? >> no, i agree with you. our agenda is pretty progressive, and some might call it ambitious. but we -- the american people and frankly the world can't afford anything less. the clock is ticking rapidly on this issue, and the

president-elect has made it very clear that we are going to approach this in a way that we know the vast majority have so much more in common than what separates us. we brought together through the policy but also in practice convened everyone from labor groups to fortune 500 folks, who there is a consensus among on what needs to happen. the president-elect was talking with the head of gm and days later we see that they're going to drop their resistance to california's rules on electric vehicles. so we have reason to be optimistic about what is possible. it will not be easy. it will require a convening. but as the president-elect always says, look, this as much as anything is also about jobs. it's about investing in research and development. it's about investing in the american workers with jobs that are well-paying jobs, good union well-paying jobs. and i think that there is more

consensus than one might think. >> jake, if i can give you an example. the irony is we have four crises. the first crisis is covid. the second is the economic close to recession and maybe worse. the third crisis is the inequity that exists -- the racial inequity that exists. and the fourth crisis is climate. ironically they all work for one another. >> mm-hmm. >> the first time the american peopled looked out there and said, my lord, i guess all those things i heard about, even though i don't live in neighborhoods that have large black populations, i didn't realize police actually do those kind of things like i saw with george floyd, or say that, you know, i met with -- before i announced my climate plan, i knew what it was going to be. i went to all the major unions and said, guys, here's what i'm going to do, but let me tell you why it's in your interest. so what happens? we have labor and ceos on the big board up here in a zoom, and

i said, we're going to build 550,000 charging stations. and what happens? you have general motors saying, we want to own that market, and it's going to reduce greenhouse gases gigantically. we're going to be in that position. you hear labor saying, we're all for that. we're going to have jobs. we're going to make money making the country green. so it's not so much -- people, when they stop and everybody -- even my own team told me ten months ago, you're not going to get unions ato go along with you. well, yes they are because they realize they're not going to be left out. they are the way to grow the economy. you have folks like moody's and wall street saying my plan i put together will create 18.6 million jobs and $1 trillion, $1 trillion additional growth in the gdp. so i mean i've always argued that if you help the people like

a $15 minimum wage nationally, it raises everybody. it raises the entire community. the wealthy do better. the middle class do better, and the poor have a way up. >> up next, our exclusive conversation continues. i ask the president-elect whether he wants outgoing president trump at his inauguration. his response and much more after this quick break. a smartphone, but i'm not a new customer. well, actually now, new and existing customers can get our best smartphone deal. it's historic. that is historic. which means... i'm making history, right? yea, i don't know if i'd exactly sa- wow. me, dave brown. existing customer who got the greatest deal in history. just like every other customer gets... oh that's cool too. it's not complicated. at&t is making history. everyone gets our best smartphone deals. i'll be eating chicken tikka masala with garlic naan. [doorbell chimes] cheers. i win again, patrick. that's siiir patrick.

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welcome back to the cnn special event, the first joint interview. the incoming biden/harris administration is not only confronting a deadly pandemic but also divided government and a gridlocked congress here in washington, not to mention an outgoing president who will not acknowledge reality and concede. but i continued our conversation first with just a couple of the threats the u.s. is facing from abroad. you're set to inherit a very complicated situation with iran. iran's top nuclear scientist was just assassinated in an attack that a senior u.s. official told cnn that is being attributed to

israel. how does that assassination complicate your efforts to have the nuclear deal be rejoined? >> quite frankly, jake, it's hard to tell how much it's complicated. the first thing that i will attempt to do -- and i've spoken with now over 20 heads of state -- i've made it clear to our friends in nato, the first calls that came in, that we have a rule of one president at a time. so i can't make policy, but i want to re-establish the close, close, close alliance relationship we had both in europe and in the pacific. and part of that relates to the ability to get your back in on our side. europe now has basically stiff-armed the united states based on the president's embrace of autocrats and poking his finger in their eyes. so i think it's going to depend a lot on -- what will change the

circumstance, if europe come as long with the united states. but it's going to be a hard, hard negotiation. i have no illusions about that. and the bottom line is that we can't allow iran to get nuclear weapons. and look how damaging this policy the president has. he has pulled out to get something tougher, and what have they done? they've increased the ability for them to have nuclear material. they're moving closer to the ability to be able to have enough material for a nuclear weapon. there is the missile issues. all those things, i think, are going to be very difficult, but i know one thing. we cannot do this alone, and that's why we have to be part of a larger group dealing not only with iran but with russia, with china, and a whole range of other issues. >> let me ask you about china if i can, madam vice president-elect. the president-elect has said he will not immediately remove the trump tariffs on china. should the chinese government, in your view, be further punished for mishandling and

hiding the truth about the novel coronavirus that began there? >> well, as the president-elect said, there's one president at a time, and we are not in the position of stating policy about our relationship with any of these countries at this moment. and frankly we are early in the process sadly of getting information that is classified information. our intelligence briefings just started. so we're not in a position to respond to that specifically. but certainly one of the things that is very clear is this is going to be an administration that puts the public health professionals first and not politics first. in the discussion about the cause, the reason, and the effect of covid-19. >> jake, you know, the president's approach to china has been backwards. my concern from the beginning -- i spoke about it and i met with xi more times than anybody up until the time we left office

that i'm aware of -- is to make it real clear to china there are international rules that if you want to play by, we'll play with you. if you don't, we're not going to play, number one. number two, it's not about punishing them for the covid virus. it's about insisting that there be international norms established that they play by. for example, the idea that we make up about, you know, 20% of the world's economy, 25%, and they are -- and we're not going along with the rest of our allies to make sure that in europe and in asia, we insist that, for example, stopping the stealing of national secrets, stopping the stealing of artificial intelligence capacities. we have to make it clear that we will respond. for example, when you're in a situation where if you want to do business in china and you're a high-tech firm, you've got to have a 51% chinese partner.

so they have access to your -- that's not going to happen in our administration. that's not going to happen. >> president trump is reportedly considering a wave of preemptive pardons for his adult children and for rudy giuliani. he's also floated the idea in private conversations, according to our reporting, of possibly pardoning himself, which he insists he has the power to do though that has never been litigated. does this concern you, all these preemptive pardons? >> well, it concerns me in terms of what kind of precedent it sets and how the rest of the world looks at us as a nation of laws and justice. but, look, our justice department is going to operate independently on those issues, how to respond to any of that. i'm not going to be telling them what they have to do and don't have too do.

i'm not going to be saying going prosecute a, b, or c. i'm not going to be telling them. that's not the role. it's not my justice department. it's the people's justice department. so the persons i pick to run that department are going to be people who are going to have the independent capacity to decide who gets prosecuted, who doesn't. in terms of the pardons, you're not going to see in our administration that kind of approach to pardons. nor are you going to see in our administration the approach to making policy by tweets. you know, it's just going to be a totally way in which we approach the justice system. >> during the primary last year, madam vice president-elect, you told npr that the justice department, quote, would have no choice but to prosecute president trump and that, quote, there has to be accountability. how does that square with what the president-elect just said about not telling the justice department to go after individuals? >> we will not tell the justice department how to do its job,

and we are going to assume -- and i say this as a former attorney general, elected in california, and i ran the second largest department of justice in the united states -- that any decision coming out of the justice department, in particular the united states department of justice, should be based on facts. it should be based on the law. it should not be influenced by politics, period. >> i guarantee you that's how it will be run. >> the second gentleman to be resigned from his law firm to avoid even the appearance of impropriety. when your son hunter came under scrutiny during the campaign, you vowed no one in my family or associated with me will be involved in any foreign operation whatsoever, period, end of story, unquote. will your brothers, will your son take leave from any business interests, not just foreign, but any business interests that might create any even appearance of impropriety? >> my son, my family will not be

involved in any business, any enterprise that is in conflict or appears to be in conflict with his appropriate distance from the presidency and government. >> president trump has not said if he's going to attend your inauguration yet. do you think it's important that he's there? you're laughing. >> um, i think it would -- important only in one sense, not in a personal sense. important in a sense that we are able to demonstrate at the end of this chaos that he's created that there is peaceful transfer of power with the competing parties standing there shaking hands and moving on. i think that's an important -- what i worry about, jake, more than the impact on the domestic politics, i really worry about the image we're presenting to the rest of the world. >> mm-hmm. >> you know, the rest of the

world's looked at aus -- and you've heard me say this a number of times. i apologize for repeating it. they follow us not just because of the example of our power. the power of our example. look where we are now in the world. look how we're viewed. they're wondering, my lord, these things happen in tin horn dictatorships. this is not -- it's not the united states. so in that sense, the protocol of the transfer of power, i think, is important. but it is totally his decision, and it's of no personal consequence to me. but i do think it is for the country. >> you've been in public life for more than half a century. >> since i was a kid, yeah. >> this is your third run for president, and you made it. you made it. what does it feel like, especially at this moment when this nation is in any number of crises, including the covid crisis -- what does it feel like? are you daunted? are you worried?

are you fearful? are you exhilarated? what's the emotion that goes through you? >> i'm determined. i'm confident that what i've said from the outset -- and i've never changed my view this whole campaign, for almost going on 600 days -- exactly what had to be done. we have to restore the soul of this country meaning honor, decency, honesty, basic, basic fundamental decency. second, we have to rebuild the backbone of this country, the middle class. this time bring everybody along. thirdly we have to unite the country. they're all going to be difficult to do, but i've never veered from those three principles. so i look at it as an opportunity to make an incredible contribution to the country. but i am not -- you know, as i said to you on other interviews, i'll take responsibility. when i fail, i'll acknowledge it. and i will not deny that i made a mistake, and i'll move on.

this is a little bit not unlike what happened in 1932. there is a fundamental change not only taking place here in the united states but around the world. we're in the middle of the fourth industrial revolution where there's a real question of whether or not what -- all these changes in technology. will there be a middle class? what will people be doing? and there's genuine, genuine anxiety. that's why you're going to see me reaching out, continue to reach out not just to the communities that supported me. i'm going to reach out to those who didn't support me. i mean for real because i think a lot of people are just scared and think they've been left behind and forgotten. we're not going to forget anybody in this effort. >> mm-hmm. >> what goes through your mind as he prepares to take on the most important job in the world and the outgoing president is lying about fraud, spreading -- spending his time really focused entirely on trying to undermine

him, whether that's the result of what he's doing or the purpose, i don't know. when he says that it's possible -- when it's reported it's possible he'll announce he's running for office to run in 2024 on inauguration day, what goes through your mind? >> i believe that we are all very fortunate that joe biden is going to be the next president of the united states. the american people deserve in their president to have someone who is -- who is truly patriotic, who loves our country, who puts the people of the country first, not themselves. that's joe biden. joe biden is truly a kind human being. joe biden is someone who has endured real struggle and

sacrifice and pain. he also is someone who knows love. he is someone who has dedicated his life to public service, and there couldn't be a more extreme exercise in stark contrast between the current occupant of the white house and the next occupant of the white house. and i do believe our country is going to be the better for the outcome of this election and the election of joe biden as president. >> madam vice president-elect, mr. president-elect, thank you so much for this interview. >> thank you, jake. >> for this opportunity. obviously i'm sure everybody watching wishes you the best of luck in terms of beating back covid, getting the economy back on track. so best of luck to both of you and thanks again. >> thank you. >> thank you. >> i'm sure we're going to see a lot of one another. >> our cnn special event continues. what happened after our interview? stay with us. this holiday season,

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and, welcome back to the cnn special event. the first, joint interview. we covered a lot of ground, in our exclusive interview with president-elect joe biden and vice president-elect kamala harris. let me bring in, don lemon, who is going to pick up our coverage, now. don, what stood out to you, the most, from the interview? >> there was a lot, jake. but i think, and you can relate to this, i'm sure, it feels like we are watching interviews or president-elect and a president who are on earth one and earth two. and this particular earth, that is in reality, was very normal, very sedate, and it was welcoming news. it was good to watch. it was good to actually get content. we heard no fake news. we heard no conspiracy theories. we heard no personal grievances. we heard a president-elect and a

vice president, who want to work with the other side. and when you asked, and i thought this was a very important question and a great answer from him. when you said, is it important that the current president is at your inauguration? and he laughed, and everyone knew what he was thinking. and then, he went on to give, i thought, was a great answer. it's important to the country, that the country sees a smooth transition. that is what we need, jake. >> yeah. i mean, there, certainly, was a lot of the right answers, in terms of the justice department is not mine, it's the people's justi justice department. and -- and, you know, i'm not going to do this. i'm not going to do that. and obviously, we'll see. the proof will be in the pudding but, yeah, it was -- also, i just have to say, interviewing him, like, it's -- it's different. you don't really have to steel yourself for the potential reaction, when you bring up uncomfortable subjects, such as when i asked vice

president-elect harris. when i asked president-elect biden about his son. >> any of his family members going to be on boards or jobs that may be in conflict. excuse me, hunter, not beau. but he answered it, very plainly, and distinctly. >> yeah. nobody's going to do anything in terms of business deals that's going to create, even the appearance, of impropriety. again, we will see what happens. but there just wasn't, you know, the attack that we in the -- in the -- in the fourth estate have been used to. so that was unusual. a lot of ambitions and hopes. he's optimistic. he acknowledges it's going to be tough, but he's optimistic about being able to get something done with the senate. he did acknowledge. i think -- he said it will be different after the lelectors

vote. i said you think the fever's going to break when so many republicans haven't acknowledged you're the president-elect. he said it will with the republican leadership. >> some called and congratulated him but many won't do it, in public. which we have seen, over the last four years. they just won't say anything they think this president may be opposed to. i want to ask you, jake, because when you are sitting down, we get a sense of who people are. but i thought their interaction and their relationship with each other. he seemed to, and correct me if i'm wrong, rely on her a lot to sometimes complete a sentence or get information from her. so, that will indicate to me, that he will be relying on her during the presidency, during his administration. >> it was interesting. for instance, when i noted that the naacp has been disappointed with some of his -- his picks

for the cabinet. and, you know, they -- they want to meet with him. and he said i am sitting down with them and -- and vice president-elect harris was like, yeah, tuesday. like, she -- she knew that. and obviously, her role is not his scheduler. she is going to be a partner with him, as she says. but it was interesting, and it does suggest that they are in the room together, discussing these things. it was, also -- there was an interesting moment, after the interview. and i know you know what it's like, don. you prepare all these questions. and, you know, you hope to get to as many of them as you can. but obviously, you don't get to all the ones you want to. and there were a number of things i wanted to ask about, that i just didn't get to. but one of them, obviously, about veterans' issues because it's an issue that i care about, deeply. and i know the president-elect cares about them, deeply. his son, beau, was a veteran. and obviously, he and his -- his soon-to-be first lady, jill, his wife, worked on these veterans issues. and we talked about that after

the interview, and he said to me that who they pick to be the secretary of veterans affairs is going to be important. it's such a difficult job. these -- you know, these -- these men and women go away, and they really need an advocate. and it's such a difficult job to be va secretary. and then, the vice president-elect, kamala harris, said, and their families, too. she just joined the conversation. their families, too. a lot of spouses and kids. they don't know what to expect, when -- when their loved one gets home from war, from the theater, and i mean, we just had a nice conversation about those issues. and it was, as you noted, normal. normal conversation. but then, also, it was -- it was interesting watching them interplay in that respect. don, thank you so much. i throw it, now, over to you. >> all right, jake. great interview, jake. thank you so much. we will be seeing more. as they said, he is going to be

spending more time with you and seeing a lot of you. i hope that's all of us here. >> no, just me. >> congratulations, jake, though. by the way, is that music? are you at a party? what is going on? >> there is a music thing going on here, outside the white house. they're blasting a lot of hip-hop and rap. thankfully, the song that they're playing right now, these are protestors against president trump, thankfully, the song they are playing right now is -- is -- is g-rated. >> they did it just for us. jake, thank you. congratulations. i'll see you soon. >> this is "cnn tonight." i am don lemon. i hope you enjoyed that interview with jake and the president-elect and the -- the vice president-elect. i certainly did. that was an exclusive interview, by the way. so, let's talk about that interview and -- and what jake and i didn't mention. we didn't talk about dr. fauci and the coronavirus. it is raging, right now, tonight. and the vice president -- excuse me, the president-elect, promising that he is g